The suspect accused of murdering 19-year-old Da’Cara Thompson last month was ordered held without bond after his first court appearance on Monday in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

The man accused of killing 19-year-old Da’Cara Thompson last month was ordered held without bond after his first court appearance on Monday in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, was charged in Thompson’s murder on Friday after prosecutors accused him of driving Thompson to his home in Bowie, killing her in the bedroom and then leaving her body in a grassy area near Route 50 in Anne Arundel County.

Investigators are still trying to put together the last hours of Thompson’s life. According to court documents, surveillance video shows her park her SUV and walk into a parking lot near a Family Dollar store in Langley Park. She spoke to the driver of another vehicle and then got into the vehicle’s front passenger seat around 3 a.m.

Court records allege that Hernandez-Mendez threw Thompson’s body off the South River Bridge on Route 50, a drop of more than 30 feet, and that her body had numerous fractures. The motive for the murder is still under investigation and Acting Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said an autopsy is pending.

Investigators arrested Hernandez-Mendez in the 12000 Block of Kembridge Drive, where he was a renter, and authorities believe Thompson was killed there and her body was moved.

‘Soft-spoken, kind young lady’

The bond hearing was routine. But the courtroom was packed with family and friends of the victim.

After the hearing, Da’Cara Thompson’s mother, Carmen, spoke about her daughter.

“She had just completed a yearlong internship in which she was very successful. She did a great job. She was an outgoing, soft-spoken, kind young lady,” Carmen said, wearing a wearing a shirt printed with her daughter’s photo and #JusticeForDaCara. “I just want justice served for my daughter.”

Thompson had graduated from St. Charles High School in Waldorf and worked for a nonprofit as part of a service program for recent graduates.

In an official statement from the Department of Homeland Security, it said Hernandez-Mendez was in the United States illegally from Guatemala. The agency also said he had been arrested and charged previously with driving under the influence in May of 2022.

At a news conference Friday, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said Hernandez-Mendez had also been arrested this past April by U.S. Park Police on another DUI charge while driving on the Baltimore Washington Parkway. She noted that despite the federal agency’s understanding that he was living in the country illegally, they released him.

“It’s very disappointing, finding that out now. Because we may not be here today if they did what they were supposed to do,” Carmen said Monday.

According to court records, Hernandez-Mendez worked for a Baltimore landscaping company.

Getting justice

For more than a week, Thompson’s relatives searched for her after she disappeared after saying she was going out to get gasoline for her car on the night of Aug. 22.

It wasn’t until nine days later that they got the terrible news.

State’s Attorney Jackson said regardless of the suspect’s immigration status, she will press ahead with his first- and second-degree murder charges.

“My concern is to hold accountable people who commit crimes against the residents of Prince George’s County,” she said. “This office’s primary concern is not the legal status of the defendant, or frankly any defendant.”

Thompson’s mother said she has confidence in the work of the investigators and the State’s Attorney’s Office to find out what happened, and she urged caution to those who are judging her daughter.

“There’s been a lot of people disparaging her character on social media and things and such. Please don’t believe everything you see. Please don’t believe everything you hear. Out of respect for the family and us grieving, please approach everything with grace. We would appreciate that,” Carmen said.

Hernandez-Mendez is due back in court on Oct. 8 for a preliminary hearing.

WTOP’s John Domen and Jose Umana contributed to this report.

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